The heroine of "Adopted Paws" is Molly, a cat with feline AIDS. Retz Reeves and her husband adopted Molly and her kittens, Lucky and Cali, but didn't find out she had AIDS until later, when she began behaving strangely. "Adopted Paws" will tug on all readers' heartstrings by retelling the Reeves' journey with Molly, from the cat's diagnosis, to their care during her numerous ear infections and finally to her last days. But "Adopted Paws" is certainly not all tears and sadness- as any pet owner knows, pets can bring heaps of joy and laughter, and the Reeves' critters are no exception. No matter how many pets you own, animal lovers everywhere will enjoy this real life tale of adopted joy.

PublishAmerica (2007)ISBN 9781424169412Reviewed by William Phenn for Reader Views (10/07)

Retz Reeves was a native of Oakdale, Pennsylvania till she accepted a job in Florida with an investment firm. Living in Miami, Florida, Retz pursued her investment career during the day and studied Microbiology and Business at night. After almost a decade Retz graduated from Florida International University, after which she obtained her MBA from Nova Southeastern University, married Randy Reeves and started adopting stray animals.

“Adopted Paws” was a humorous read and I immediately fell in love with it when I read how Retz met her husband’s dog. It was such a common response with most hounds and I could picture the dog making her acquaintance. Retz does a very good job in telling her story of learning to live with a new husband and his dog...then, some additional cats, and more dogs, and more cats. The hilariously funny story continues when they decide to look for a place close to the ocean. Retz and her husband Randy had wanted a place to get away and decided to look for a place in the Florida Keys. Their struggle to find the perfect place is hampered for a while but finally comes to an end. They find their sanctuary on a canal in the Florida Keys.

While at the vets one day with her cat Molly, Retz was informed that Molly had Feline Aids. This was not contagious to humans but could be to other cats. The diagnosis was devastating to Retz. There was nothing that could be done for the animal and Retz and Randy had to cope with the thought that Molly’s time was limited.

When Mom and Dad wanted to go to the house in the Keys they naturally had to take the family with them. Not an easy task when you have to load cats into cages and a couple of hounds. Retz relates a few of these incidents in the book and I could just picture the funny scene as she described the pitfalls of traveling with pets. Cats getting carsick and vomiting on the seat, big dogs needing to go number two and when you’re on the highway there is nothing you can do.

“Adopted Paws” was one of the funniest and most interesting animal books I have read in a long time. The book was well written, PublishAmerica did a nice job with its publishing and it was a great read. I give it an A and recommend it to all animal lovers.